After a quick hike up the side of the mountain, the Gateway Reservations team was excited to get off and “zipping” on the newest addition to Durango’s already incredible activity line-up – the new Full Blast Adventures Zipline! Just as exciting as it sounds, this great new activity offers a unique adventure as you zip high above the spruce and pine forest just outside of Durango’s historic downtown area. Completed in the beginning of August 2010, this zipline is a super exciting, family friendly adventure and, in addition to being the newest, it is also one of the safest zipline’s in the world with redundant double lines and triple connection points on every “zip!”
The adventure started as we met our super friendly guides, Jessie and Aaron (ask for them!), and they got us outfitted with our safety gear and walked us through all of the standard paperwork. After the legal stuff, they took us for a quick orientation to understand how all of our equipment was going to work, how to go faster, how to slow down, how to hold your body, etc. Once we were orientated, it was time for the short but steep hike up the side of the mountain to the first platform (not overly strenuous but still a bit of a haul – I found it to be a great way to get your heart pumping to start your adventure!).
Once we reached the top and after a short water break, our guides took us over to Tower 1 where they belayed us up to the top.
"Zip On!"
From that point on, you don’t touch the ground again until the end of the adventure so get ready for an unforgettable, adrenaline pumping trip. At the top of the tower, the first guide zips to the other platform to “receive” you and, once set, you are prompted to holler ”Zipping!” and from across the span we hear a “Zip On!” go-ahead. Before you know it, your feet are leaving the platform and you are soaring above the forest floor, surrounded by Durango’s beautiful mountain scenery. All together, you zip across 6 amazing lines among 7 wood towers and it is about a 3 hour adventure including the hike, paperwork and orientation.
As you can guess, words can’t really describe the experience. To give you an idea of what the zip in action, check out this clip from YouTube that we put together. However, ultimately, you have to come out to try it for yourself and find out why this is sure to be one of Durango’s most popular and exciting trips yet! We have also put together a unique Zipline Package where you can save money and time by combining your zipline adventure with lodging and much more. As always, if you have questions, want to learn more or just want to talk to a real person, we are hear for you at 800.828.4228. Call or book your trip online today!
